ROLE MODEL: Jolie and her son, Maddox, with Mariane Pearl and Adam, who was born after his father’s death. Arnaldo Magnani

Hollywood is giving the Danny Pearl story a star.

Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie will play the role of Mariane Pearl in the movie A Mighty Heart, based on Pearl’s bestselling memoir by the same name. The Paramount Vantage film will be directed by Michael Winterbottom (A Cock and Bull Story) and produced in part by Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B.

The film tells the story of Pearl’s search for the truth about what happened to her husband, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, ’85, who was abducted and executed by Pakistani militants in 2002. Mariane Pearl said in a prepared statement that she was “delighted” by Jolie’s involvement in the project, and greatly admires the actress’s work.

Beacon Pictures is also planning a film about Pearl’s murder, based on French author Bernard-Henri Lévy’s book Who Killed Daniel Pearl? The fictionalized drama stars Josh Lucas (Poseidon) and will be directed by Tod “Kip” Williams (The Door in the Floor).